SM105K's Ownership/Performance/Maintenance Thread

[shoblock]

Meet Elizabeth. My new to me 2019 Mercedes E63S AMG. Picked her up today, and already headed north for a roadtrip. View attachment 91675View attachment 91676

She bangs.

Uh oh, I think I'm jealous... I hear they make a station wagon. That would be an ultimate sleeper.
SHOBLOCK

 

[SM105K]

Uh oh, I think I'm jealous... I hear they make a station wagon. That would be an ultimate sleeper.
SHOBLOCK

Yes they do, and it is amazing. I flirted with buying one, but the sedan just kept calling my name.

 

[Junkyard_Mad-Scientist]

I hate to say it but when I decide to retire my sho (as a daily) it'll probably be in favor of an suv for ease of ingress and egress (unless this town car I keep seeing actually happens), before I got my sho I was toying with audi for lack of knowledge of the Mercedes offerings. Now I can say I'm educated and congrats on the new wheels, seems like the appropriate successor to a SHO, love the name too.

 

[SM105K]

I hate to say it but when I decide to retire my sho (as a daily) it'll probably be in favor of an suv for ease of ingress and egress (unless this town car I keep seeing actually happens), before I got my sho I was toying with audi for lack of knowledge of the Mercedes offerings. Now I can say I'm educated and congrats on the new wheels, seems like the appropriate successor to a SHO, love the name too.

I am still going to buy a midsized suv. Looking at Hyundai Santa Fe's. They are cheap and pretty reliable. Plus I really like the self driving capabilities.

 

[Junkyard_Mad-Scientist]

I am still going to buy a midsized suv. Looking at Hyundai Santa Fe's. They are cheap and pretty reliable. Plus I really like the self driving capabilities.

Hyundai/Kia have really stepped up their game in the last decade, still a fair price point but offering way more than entry level build quality they had in the 90s. Both me and my brother are die hard blue oval people and we both almost bought tellurides, dollar for dollar you get more than the explorer. But both of our wives opted for the explorer lol

 

[kryptto]

@SM105K congrats man... seriously happy for ya.

 

[SM105K]

Alrighty,

I have owned the car for 5 days now and have put 400 miles on it. Here are some pro's and con's.

I will start with the con's. There are none so far. This car has done everything that I have asked without any issues.

The pro's : It is the nicest, most functional, and most ridiculous vehicle I have ever driven.

I may or may not already be looking for a tune........

I will throw my draggy in it in the next couple of days and get some numbers. Probably schedule a dyno session to get the baseline numbers before I start messing with it.

 

[Junkyard_Mad-Scientist]

I will start with the con's. There are none

Love it, best quote ever

 

[SM105K]

Okay....I had a couple of things to iron out with the E63s. There are a couple of known issues with the 2018/2019 E63S. The Fuel Pump Module and Rear Main Seal mainly. I knew this going into ownership and I bought an extended 3 year/36k warranty just in case these reared their heads. Missed out on a 2020 E63s by a couple of hours in New Port Beach CA. Super nice car with the darker grey, and it had the high end Burmeister sound system. So my searched continued and I purchased my 2019 from Certified Benz and Beemer in Scottsdale. Great dealership, biggest certified pre-owned Benz dealership in the US. It is Iridim Silver (the color I wanted), had the comfort seats, and it is so

My E63 was a one owner, 37k mile, only serviced at Mercedes for its life. I spoke to Mercedes before I purchased it, and they said that in their last inspection they noticed the upper oil pan seal was starting to seap, and that the fuel pump module was throwing intermittent CEL's. Nothing to stop my purchase. I bought it and took it on a 400 mile road trip. During the roadtrip I found the previous owners information and I reached out to him. He was super cool and was excited that another AMG guy bought it. I asked him about any problems and he told me about the upper oil pan gasket and fuel pump module that Mercedes has told him. He sold the car, because he need money quick and it wasn't his daily.

A couple of days after I purchased my E63S it got a small oil leak, and I was getting the intermittent CEL. I took it back and they confirmed. They are started the work, and it took way longer than I expected. I wont bore you with the story. Long story they had my car for seven weeks. It took two weeks for warranty to kick in because the warranty companies A/R department was back logged. Then another couple of weeks to get the parts. You have to replace the whole fuel pump assembly because the fuel pump module is integrated. There were zero pumps in the US at the time, so one had to be sent from Germany. Then it took a week to replace the part. Whole engine assembly had to come out to get to the upper oil pan gasket. Since the engine was out, they looked at the RMS (rear main seal) and it had started to seap as well. They replaced it since they were there. They got it all back together test drove it for 100 miles (my direction) and I picked it up. I didn't make it 50 miles and the AC stopped working.

I took it back and they worked on it. Two weeks later, everything replaced....(dryer, condenser, compressor) my E63S is like new.

Moral of the story, post COVID, it is hard to find parts and people worth a shit.

However, I do have some plans for the E63s including some draggy runs/baselines, dyno baselines, and a tune will be coming soon. Just have to figure out who I want to tune it. So yeah....

 

[kryptto]

Okay....I had a couple of things to iron out with the E63s. There are a couple of known issues with the 2018/2019 E63S. The Fuel Pump Module and Rear Main Seal mainly. I knew this going into ownership and I bought an extended 3 year/36k warranty just in case these reared their heads. Missed out on a 2020 E63s by a couple of hours in New Port Beach CA. Super nice car with the darker grey, and it had the high end Burmeister sound system. So my searched continued and I purchased my 2019 from Certified Benz and Beemer in Scottsdale. Great dealership, biggest certified pre-owned Benz dealership in the US. It is Iridim Silver (the color I wanted), had the comfort seats, and it is so

My E63 was a one owner, 37k mile, only serviced at Mercedes for its life. I spoke to Mercedes before I purchased it, and they said that in their last inspection they noticed the upper oil pan seal was starting to seap, and that the fuel pump module was throwing intermittent CEL's. Nothing to stop my purchase. I bought it and took it on a 400 mile road trip. During the roadtrip I found the previous owners information and I reached out to him. He was super cool and was excited that another AMG guy bought it. I asked him about any problems and he told me about the upper oil pan gasket and fuel pump module that Mercedes has told him. He sold the car, because he need money quick and it wasn't his daily.

A couple of days after I purchased my E63S it got a small oil leak, and I was getting the intermittent CEL. I took it back and they confirmed. They are started the work, and it took way longer than I expected. I wont bore you with the story. Long story they had my car for seven weeks. It took two weeks for warranty to kick in because the warranty companies A/R department was back logged. Then another couple of weeks to get the parts. You have to replace the whole fuel pump assembly because the fuel pump module is integrated. There were zero pumps in the US at the time, so one had to be sent from Germany. Then it took a week to replace the part. Whole engine assembly had to come out to get to the upper oil pan gasket. Since the engine was out, they looked at the RMS (rear main seal) and it had started to seap as well. They replaced it since they were there. They got it all back together test drove it for 100 miles (my direction) and I picked it up. I didn't make it 50 miles and the AC stopped working.

I took it back and they worked on it. Two weeks later, everything replaced....(dryer, condenser, compressor) my E63S is like new.

Moral of the story, post COVID, it is hard to find parts and people worth a shit.

However, I do have some plans for the E63s including some draggy runs/baselines, dyno baselines, and a tune will be coming soon. Just have to figure out who I want to tune it. So yeah....

My mother gave up her Mercedes, went to BMW. Very similar experiences as you, lots of part shortages and months in the shop. They are such nice cars, but seem to be very problematic, and NOTHING is easy to service on them.

 

[luigisho]

Moral of the story, post COVID, it is hard to find parts and people worth a shit.

and I don't even like dealing with and waiting for Rock Auto for parts errors... The supply system for alot of foreign and domestic vehicle parts is a mess vs what we used to have

 

[shoblock]

Sorry for your luck, bro. Are the newer('20 and up) E63s's devoid of these two issues? My baby is still running fine with 107,000, but like me, she won't last forever, and these Benziz are interesting.
SHOBLOCK

 

[kryptto]

Sorry for your luck, bro. Are the newer('20 and up) E63s's devoid of these two issues? My baby is still running fine with 107,000, but like me, she won't last forever, and these Benziz are interesting.
SHOBLOCK

This is info I would like to hear as well... @SM105K

 

[SM105K]

Sorry for your luck, bro. Are the newer('20 and up) E63s's devoid of these two issues? My baby is still running fine with 107,000, but like me, she won't last forever, and these Benziz are interesting.
SHOBLOCK

It is what it is. From what I know the 2020+ plus cars have rectified the situation. I have spoken to quite a few 18/19 owners and all of them had the rear main done under warranty. Mine wasn't done from the previous owner because it wasnt showing symptoms. I have a stack of 29 pages of maintenance from Mercedes, and I even spoke to the service writer for the car during his ownership. Dude was on top of it, but he did admit that he did not drive the car hard.

Long story short, my whole fiasco was just that.... a fiasco. Just a situation that cascaded onto itself. I would have been extremely ****** if I had a car payment. Going forward I will only have the original Mercedes Dealership work on my car while it is still under warranty. I am in the process of trying to find a good independent shop as well.

If I was in the market again, I would only look for a 2020 model year. The 21's are facelifted and I am not of fan. They tuned down the exhaust, lost the IWC clock on the dash, but they gained the Panamera Grill. However, those are COVID GEN cars that dealt with chip shortages, German Steel issues, ect. I am not willing to mess with that at all.

 

[SM105K]

Sorry for your luck, bro. Are the newer('20 and up) E63s's devoid of these two issues? My baby is still running fine with 107,000, but like me, she won't last forever, and these Benziz are interesting.
SHOBLOCK

For the record, this has not soured my experience. The car is amazing. It does everything so good. AMG really hit the nail on the head with this car. I mean literally, I am a CPC upgrade or a tune away from running a 10 second quarter mile. Also the stock exhaust is sick....quiet when closed, and rowdy when open. Music to my ears.

Super unassuming as well.

 

[Junkyard_Mad-Scientist]

those are COVID GEN cars that dealt with chip shortages, German Steel issues, ect. I am not willing to mess with that at all.

That right there is what scares me the most out of buying anything relatively new. I took more interest than I should have in the auto industry during covid and watched set back after set back. between quality control issues, staff issues, and parts supply chain issues, its a wonder anything even has a 2020 build date, think of how rare 2009 model year vehicles are. I like to think 4 years later everyone has found their bearings and its better but I dont see it, quality and craftsmanship are down, prices are up and I agree its not worth the hassle of rebuilding a car that was hindered from the assembly line.

All of that said, German cars have a reputation to uphold and before I got my SHO I was heavily considering an Audi (before learning here what an AMG really is) so I am curious too if the issues have been worked out. any machine will inherently break down, there is no such thing as perfection, but you expect to get pretty close with a name like Mercedes. We all must be like minded enough to be lured into it, the SHO that lives 4 blocks from me has an AMG SUV of some sort sitting in his driveway as his daily (the SHO gets the garage and weekend use). Im glad it all worked out for you though, must be a great feeling having a practically new car via warranty work with its known gremlins taken care of. now that you have it back i'll live vicariously through you and eagerly await some baseline figures.

 

[SM105K]

That right there is what scares me the most out of buying anything relatively new. I took more interest than I should have in the auto industry during covid and watched set back after set back. between quality control issues, staff issues, and parts supply chain issues, its a wonder anything even has a 2020 build date, think of how rare 2009 model year vehicles are. I like to think 4 years later everyone has found their bearings and its better but I dont see it, quality and craftsmanship are down, prices are up and I agree its not worth the hassle of rebuilding a car that was hindered from the assembly line.

All of that said, German cars have a reputation to uphold and before I got my SHO I was heavily considering an Audi (before learning here what an AMG really is) so I am curious too if the issues have been worked out. any machine will inherently break down, there is no such thing as perfection, but you expect to get pretty close with a name like Mercedes. We all must be like minded enough to be lured into it, the SHO that lives 4 blocks from me has an AMG SUV of some sort sitting in his driveway as his daily (the SHO gets the garage and weekend use). Im glad it all worked out for you though, must be a great feeling having a practically new car via warranty work with its known gremlins taken care of. now that you have it back i'll live vicariously through you and eagerly await some baseline figures.

Exactly. Most of the 2020 model years were built in 2019 in the case of what I was looking for. I think across the board ANYTHING built in 2020/2021/2022 will inherently have some type of COVID issues. I just recently bought a late year 2023 model Hyundai Santa Fe XRT as well, and everything is working well.

Hopefully this is just a rough patch in my ownership and I am excited to see what happens going forward.

 

[SM105K]

So with all the work that has been done to the Mercedes over the past couple of weeks, I drove it to Dumbfuckistan over the past weekend. Everyone needs a good road trip with their new to them car. During my trip I got a check engine light. I scanned it and a couple of codes came up. A couple of air temp sensors, and a full throttle purge valve. I just deleted the codes and went on my business. I will say, the little v8 averaged 20.3 mpg with an average mph of 87 mph. Not too shabby.

Once I got back into town, I took her straight to Mercedes. Car was purchased there new, had all of her service done there, and the service writer remembered the car. I explained my ordeal with the car since I purchased it, and what I knew about the codes. During our conversation, I noticed a picture of him in his Dress Blues on a digital picture frame. Long story short, we are both inactive duty Marines and that help set the tone. He asked if the car was tuned. I told him not yet. I said asked about the process in what happens with a tuned car? He said there are ways to work around stuff, but it usually isn't a big deal. However, if the car is tuned to let them know. In case stuff needing to be updated ect.

So I asked point blank, if I were to tune the car who would be a good tuner. He told me Renntech is what a lot of the AMG community use, but if it was up to him he would stay local. There is a tuning shop called Dyno Comp here in the Phoenix Metro Area. The dealership and Dyno Comp have a good relationship and they take care of each other. That planted a seed in my head.

I left the car at Mercedes on Monday 11/11/24 @ 545 pm. I recieved a call Tuesday 11/12/24 @1230 pm say my car is done and ready for pick up. I laughed, went home, got into a Uber (GF was at work and didnt want to leave a car down there). My Uber driver was from Stuttgart, Germany. It was a super interesting 30 min ride with this gentleman. He is 57 and lived in Germany his whole life, he lives here now. He told me a bunch of stories about living in Germany, driving the Autobahn, and other things. Super cool guy. Funny he was the one driving me to Mercedes to pick up my AMG. Also his personal preference for German cars was Audi.

Get to Mercedes and my service writer explains that the plug for the full throttle purge valve was not plugged in. In the notes he wrote about the upper pan gasket seal, rear main seal ect. The tech saw that, and did an inspection of the work and said everything seemed to be good. I paid my way cheaper than I thought bill. Started the car and no CEL. That damn little light was started to give me PTSD. Car runs great, no CEL, and hopefully I can put some trouble free miles in the next week because......it's time........

 

[SM105K]

I went to Dyno Comp yesterday to inquire about a tune. Just a basic ECU tune (don't want to go crazy) like Renntech. What is funny is, Renntech used to have an office next door to Dyno Comp for many years. The basic Renntech ECU tune is $3800. Yes.....$3800!! That does not include CPC tune or Transmission tune. So yeah.......

Let me delve into the limited knowledge that I have about tuning the m177/m178 Biturbo 4.0 liter AMG V8. The ECU tune is the biggest bang for your buck just like the SHO platform. However, the CPC is gate keeper. The latest Mercedes AMG models have their VMax (Speed limiter) and the torque limiters managed from a separate module called the CPC. These values cannot be modified through the ECU software. With just a CPC tune (no ECU tune) e63's are going into the high tens in the quarter mile and dropping up to 9 tenths off their 60 to 130 pulls. Also the stock CPC is speed limited to 186 mph. I have every intention of surpassing that, and getting into the 200 mph club.

Just like the SHO, transmission tuning can really make a difference in performance and driving experience. After speaking to the tuner, and discussing the options......I said full send. For less then the price of the Renntech tune, I will getting the ECU, CPC, and Transmission Tune. Didn't want to go crazy right? After seeing their dossier on other AMG's they have tuned, I am confident in this decision. My AMG will be tuned on the fuel it will primarily run, in the climate it resides in, and will actually be dyno tuned. However, they use a Dyno Dynamics which in the dyno world is the heart breaker. The DD usually reads 10 to 12% lower than a Dyno Jet. However, I have a slide chart and math is math.

The appointment is November 26th, so I have some work that needs to be done. I need to pull out the draggy and do some baseline tests. Things like 0 to 60 times, 1/4 miles times, and of course 60 to 130 times. I also need to get the AMG strapped to the Dyno Jet I used for the SHO all of those years modifying her so I can compare before and after numbers. I like all of the data!

Also all of these numbers are coming from a bone stock E63S with no plans of bolt ons as of yet. I will keep you guys posted.

 

[kryptto]

So with all the work that has been done to the Mercedes over the past couple of weeks, I drove it to Dumbfuckistan over the past weekend. Everyone needs a good road trip with their new to them car. During my trip I got a check engine light. I scanned it and a couple of codes came up. A couple of air temp sensors, and a full throttle purge valve. I just deleted the codes and went on my business. I will say, the little v8 averaged 20.3 mpg with an average mph of 87 mph. Not too shabby.

Once I got back into town, I took her straight to Mercedes. Car was purchased there new, had all of her service done there, and the service writer remembered the car. I explained my ordeal with the car since I purchased it, and what I knew about the codes. During our conversation, I noticed a picture of him in his Dress Blues on a digital picture frame. Long story short, we are both inactive duty Marines and that help set the tone. He asked if the car was tuned. I told him not yet. I said asked about the process in what happens with a tuned car? He said there are ways to work around stuff, but it usually isn't a big deal. However, if the car is tuned to let them know. In case stuff needing to be updated ect.

So I asked point blank, if I were to tune the car who would be a good tuner. He told me Renntech is what a lot of the AMG community use, but if it was up to him he would stay local. There is a tuning shop called Dyno Comp here in the Phoenix Metro Area. The dealership and Dyno Comp have a good relationship and they take care of each other. That planted a seed in my head.

I left the car at Mercedes on Monday 11/11/24 @ 545 pm. I recieved a call Tuesday 11/12/24 @1230 pm say my car is done and ready for pick up. I laughed, went home, got into a Uber (GF was at work and didnt want to leave a car down there). My Uber driver was from Stuttgart, Germany. It was a super interesting 30 min ride with this gentleman. He is 57 and lived in Germany his whole life, he lives here now. He told me a bunch of stories about living in Germany, driving the Autobahn, and other things. Super cool guy. Funny he was the one driving me to Mercedes to pick up my AMG. Also his personal preference for German cars was Audi.

Get to Mercedes and my service writer explains that the plug for the full throttle purge valve was not plugged in. In the notes he wrote about the upper pan gasket seal, rear main seal ect. The tech saw that, and did an inspection of the work and said everything seemed to be good. I paid my way cheaper than I thought bill. Started the car and no CEL. That damn little light was started to give me PTSD. Car runs great, no CEL, and hopefully I can put some trouble free miles in the next week because......it's time........

"I love it when a plan comes together..."

I am old